It was a ruling seen as good for Republicans and bad for Democrats, although the AFL-CIO also pushed for the decision.
Fred Wertheimer, founder campaign finance reform group Democracy 21, wrote in the New York Times:
Today's Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case is a disaster for the American people. It will unleash unprecedented amounts of corporate "influence-seeking" money on our elections and create unprecedented opportunities for corporate "influence-buying" corruption.Politico noted that Sens. John McCain and Russ Feingold, whose eponymous campaign finance reform bill was partially gutted by the ruling, "had divergent reactions - perhaps reflecting the impact the ruling may have on each of their parties." McCain said he was "disappointed"; Feingold called it a "terrible mistake" to "roll back laws that have limited the role of corporate money in federal elections since Teddy Roosevelt was president."
Now that the Supremes have spoken, look for a mad scramble as corporations, unions, and assorted political players assess the new groundrules and attempt to extract maximum advantage for the midterm elections.
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/01/supreme-court-sides-with-corporate-campaign-cash/33947/
